Internal combustion engine



AprilZl, 1942- M. c. FLETCHER ETAL 2,280,079

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Jan 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A rilhzl, 1942. M. c. FLETCHER ETAL INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGlNE Filed Jan, 6, 1941" 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Melvin. A.Hochsl'ellcr making these bifurcated levers Patented Apr. 21, 1942 ffilivl'rnamr. cormus'noN, ENGINE Merrill 0. Pletcher, Elkhart,

" Hochstetler, Nappanee, Ind.

and Melvin A.

Application January 6, 1941, Serial No. 373,370 (Cl. 123-51) 6 Claims.

The object of our invention is to provide a novel internal combustion engine having acylinder open at each end contain dual opposed pistons; to provide means for injecting a predetermined amount of fuel .between the pistons through a port opening at the center of the cylinder; to utilize compression ignition to ignite the fuel and to deliver taneously, site sides power to both pistons simulwhereby power is transmitted to oppoof the crank shaft thereby delivering Fig, 2 is a vertical section throughsame;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a portion of our engine showing this invention applied to an engine using spark ignition; and

Fig. 4 is an end view of the crank.

Like numerals designate like parts in each of the views. 7

Referring to the accompanying drawings we I prov ide. .an engine frame I having a cylinder 2.

the impact on the crankshaft and making a balanced engine.

It is our object to provide an engine having 1 dual opposed pistons and operated as a Diesel type engine, whereby to reduce fuel expense and increase its power with a minimum amount of.

vibration and loss of power for this type of engine; oralternatively to provide an engine having conventional spark ignition to ignite the fuel delivered through a port at the center of the cylinder between dual opposed pistons in a single cylinder open ateach end. x

It is also an importantobject ,of our invention to provide a novel bifurcated lever operatively connecting the piston rods and connecting rods.

actuating the crankshaft, whereby the expense of manufacture is reduced and increased eiiiciency is gained through elimination'of wear due to the reduction in the number of separate parts necessary, while at the same time increasing the strength of this element by making stub shafts integral with the lever to pivotally support it. Its

construction also makes more accurate delivery of power possible.

An important object of our invention is to'provide a more compact engine,'whereby there will be a reduction both in theweight of theengine and in the. space which to the shape of the bifurcated lever and the man,- ner of mounting it, and the engine frame. 2

Another object of our invention is'to "reduce the expense of maintenance .of the engine by interchangeable, and providing a crankshaft so arranged as to make this possible. n

It is also our object to provide a lever having bifurcated upper ends supplying means of connecting two piston rods to, two pistons, while. the

lower end connects one connecting rod or pitman to one crank of the crankshaft, the center of the bifurcated lever having integral stub shafts which seat in engine.

It is also our object to provide the novel combination and arrangement of elements shown and described.

We attain these and other objects of our in-.

vention by the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1- is a side elevation of our engine it occupies, in part due 7 reducing the weight of Bearings 3 are preferably integral with frame I and have separate caps 3a adapted to receive the stub shafts ,4 which are integral with the enlarged portion 5 at or near the center of the f bifurcated lever 6 which operatively connects piston rods 9 'at' the upper ends and connecting rods or pitman fiat, the lower end of said lever 6. Bearings 3,. as shown linf'Fig. 3, are disposed directly beneath the endportion of .the engine frame to provide a c jompa'ct structure and also to reduce the materialrequired in manufacture.

Opposed dual pistns-1jaren1ounted in aligned position in the cylinder 2; andfare .operatively connected to piston rods Shy wristpins I0, while i with the pins H pivotally connect'piston rods il bifurcated Ieveri, as shown in Fig. 2.

The lower legs l2 of -bifurcated leverii are pivotally connected with a-connecting rod or pitframe I, as shown man l by the pin .14, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Rods or pitman i5 are pivotally connectedby parts i6 of'crank ll of crankshaft" l8; The

crankshaft I B is supportedby end bearings I 9,

which are integral with or affixed to the engine in Fig. '1.

As shown in Fig. 2, a cam shaft cam 2| which operatively engages a cam tappet 22 on push' rod 23. Mounted on frame extension 24 of head construction 25 is an injector or fuel valve 26 for forced injection of a amount of fuel through a port opening into the central portion of cylinder I. A gasket 21 isprovided between head construction 25 and frame I, as shown in Fig- 2.

An exhaust passage 29 opens out of the central portion of cylinder I, and is controlled by exhaust valve 30 which is normally held closed by spring 3 I, but is operated to open, position at the appropriate intervals by push rod 23. Suitable means are provided for actuating the injector at appropriate times in consequence of the operation of the cam 32 or other suitable element', rotated'by cam shaft 36 driven by chain 31 bearings on the frame of the n ventional spark from other cam shaft 20.

It is within the contemplation of our invention to replace theinjector shown by a convalve if it is desired to build an engine that is not of the Diesel type, but we prefer the Diesel type for its greater power'and reduced cost of operation.

,In operation the fuel in predetermined 20 carries a predetermined plug and intake port and intake adding crankstoas desired may be connected with the crank length of the stroke bination of a pair a pair of upwardly amounts is injected at predetermined intervals the cylinder through a port into the center of opening where it is ignited by high compression and simultaneously acts on the dual opposed pistons I, which in turn, through piston rods 9,

'levers I, connecting rods or pitmans i! drive is 180 from No. 1;

is 120 from No. 1 and No. 6 crank throw is 300 from No. 1. By this arrangement and by the use of this bifurcated at each end; and we provide a pair of cylinders open at. each end, each cylinder containing two opposed pistons, thus completing a unit of a four-cyclemotor, one cylinder exhausting while the other is taking of upper arms of each lever 6 connect with the piston rods of a pair of cylinders and the pair of legs of each lever 6 connect with one connecting 'rod i5.

Cyinders are arranged in are simultaneously actuated, by the bifurcated lever 8, one of the cylindersfexhausting while fuel is being injected or the other. Two cylinders constitute a unit. y flhe engine may be madew-ith any multi le'jofjthis unit." It is to be understood that.byflthe" use' of the bifurcated lever a pluralityo'f units can be used, and by the crankshaft, as many units shaft.

- We attain an advantage of Diesel type engines by using injected or force feed fuel and an opposed piston type of engine. The gas explosion is similar to .the blow of a hammer, the power of which is spent with the impact of the blow, whereas the explosion of slow-burning fuel such as is generally used in Diesel type engines, follows the piston approximately three-fourths the thereby delivering a more fuel is practical powerful stroke. Slow-burning only by means of an injector such as is used,

in Diesel type engines.

,The mechanism on opposite sides of the engine is duplicated; that is, there are like piston rods, like pivoted bifurcated levers, and like connecting rods at each end of the respective cylinders, the connecting rods however being connected at opposed portions of the crankshaft as heretofore described.

Our bifurcated levers are interchangeable which is one of the vnovel and advantageous features of the invention.

what we claim is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, the comend, dual opposed pistons in each cylinder, piston rods, 9. pivotally mounted lever, oppositely extending stub shafts forming a part of said lever above and below; its pivotally mounted portion.

I extending arms continuing from the upper stub shaft and operatively connected to the aforesaid piston rods, a pair of downwardly extending legs continuing from the lower stub shaft, a connecting rod actuated 1 crank is the startin from-No. 1; No. 4

lever only onecrank of the crankshaft is needed for each end of each pair of cylinders open of cylinders open at each bysaid. legs, and a crank shaft actuated by said connecting rod.

the purpose of reducing piston rods, the

.for each piston,

each end, dual opposed pistons in each cylinder, piston rods, a pivotally ,mounted lever having integral .oppos'ite'stub shafts, a central portion on which the lever pivots, a pair of arms extending upwardly from the upper .stub shaft, a pair of legs extending downwardly from the lower stub shaft, a connecting rod actuated by said legs, a crank shaft actuated by said connecting rod, the aforesaid upwardly extending arms being outwardly curved, and the lever being pivotally mounted under the end. portion of the cylinder.

3. In combination with the apparatus defined in claim 2, the engine frame having bearings disposed directly beneath the cylinders for mounting the aforesaid pivotally mounted lever, whereby to provide'a compact engine unit for the weight and size of the engine. L

4. In an internalcombustion engine, a pair of parallel cylinders open at each end, a pair of opposed pistons in each cylinder, piston rods for each piston having integral upwardly and downwardly extending stub shafts, the upper stub shaft being bifurcated to form a pair of arms pivotally connected at their upper ends to the lower stub shaft being bifurcated to form a pair of legs intergal with the downwardly extending stub shaft, a connecting rod actuated by said legs, a crank shaft actuated by said connecting rod, fuel being taken into one cylinder while the products of combustion are being exhausted from the other cylinder, and an injector for supplying a'predetermined quantity of fuel under'pressure, the pistons being arranged to move close to each other for compression ignition.

5. In an internal combustion engine, a pair of parallel cylinders open at each end, a pair of opposed pistons in each cylinder, piston rods for each piston, a bifurcated'lever having a pair of outwardly curved arms actuated by the piston rods for simultaneous operation, fuel being taken into one cylinder while the products of combustion are being exhausted from the other cylinder, connecting rods actuated by the lower ends of said levers, and a crank shaft actuated bythe connecting rods, and means disposed at the central portion of each cylinder for supplying fuel to and exhausting it from the respective cylinders, a cam shaft, cam tappets, push rods carrying said cam tappets, pivoted levers operated by said push rods, spring-controlled normally closet valves actuated by the push rods, exhaust ports controlled by said valves.

6. In an internal combustionengine, two pair: of parallel cylinders open at each end, a pal; of opposed pistons in each cylinder, piston rod: bifurcated levers, each lever having an enlarged shank and having a pair of upwardly extending arms actuated by piston rods for simultaneous operation and also having its lower end bifurcated and terminating in legs connected to connecting rods, the shank of the lower portion of said lever also being enlarged, one pair of pistons operating on the power stroke while the otherpair of pistons are operating on the exhaust stroke, a crank shaft actuated by the connecting rods, and means disposed at the central portion of each cylinder for supplying fuel to and exhausting it from said cylinder.

MERRILL c. rLE'rCHER. MELVIN A. HOCHSTE'ILER.

and intake am 

